Dark Mind, Dark Hearts
by Darkpaws
Summary: Sequel to Jaded. D is now Valerian's guardian, but can he protect her from ghosts from the past?
1. Part 1

This is a fan fiction and does not intend to infringe on the copyrights of  
Hideyuki Kikuchi (Asashi Sonorama), the Vampire Hunter D Production  
Committee, Urban Vision, Jaleco, or anybody else.  
  
Valerian Rokes is my original character but D and Left Hand are not.  
  
This fanfic is based on the first Vampire Hunter D movie, the video game,  
what little I know of the second movie, the illustrations by Yoshitaka  
Amano, and my own experiences, superstitions, and research. I haven't read  
the novels but I know people who have.  
  
Darkpaws  
darkpaws@quackquack.com  
  
Dark Mind, Dark Heart  
  
Part 1  
  
It was the beginning of a new life. Valerian Rokes had never experienced  
anything like it before. At least at school there was stability, she knew  
what to expect and there was always a home to go back to if things went  
wrong. The loss of that stability, a place where she could fall back on even  
if she didn't really feel like she belonged, was frightening to her. She did  
take some consolation in D's promise to take care of her, but the trauma  
still had her shaking on the inside, if not the outside.  
  
She could still smell the smoke of the burning Rokes Manor as D's horse took  
them to the nearby town. The horse went slowly, as if it were in a funeral  
march, and the cyborg's motion was remarkably smoother than the normal  
horses Valerian had been taught to ride when she was younger. They had been  
a bit rough on her back so she avoided riding them, but she still enjoyed  
being with them and often slipped away to the stables with a bit of fruit  
for a short visit.  
  
They eventually reached the town and made their way to the hotel. D wouldn't  
have stopped here if he were alone, but Valerian looked like she really  
needed a good night's rest. It was obvious that this town was also for the  
wealthy, it was clean and well kept for a public place and most of the  
buildings were either new or refurbished to look that way. In this post  
apocalyptic world that was rare. D stopped his horse in front of the hotel  
and dismounted first, then helped Valerian down from the rather large beast.  
He secured it to the hitching post, a totally unnecessary action as the DL4  
cyborg was programmed to never be disobedient, but old habits die hard. She  
waited patiently until D finished this, and then followed him through the  
door that was held open by a doorman in uniform. A painfully thin woman with  
hair that looked like it had come out of a plastic mold who was standing  
behind the registry desk looked up and said, "Oh, hunter, it's good to see  
you again! How did you do?" D had stayed there the day before he had been  
summoned to the Rokes Manor. The long journey that took him there had been  
hard and D had gotten a little too much sunlight. "Lamech is dead." was D's  
emotionless response. "Oh good, then I have your room ready as I promised,  
the 'royal suite' as we call it. Is this young lady with you?" D nodded yes.  
  
******************************************************  
  
The first thing Valerian did was wash her face at the bathroom sink. She  
splashed the refreshingly cold tap water on her face to help herself relax  
some of the tension that had been built up during her rough day and then  
dried herself off with a towel. She looked in the mirror and tried as best  
as she could to make her hair look nice without a hairbrush. She was  
beginning to appreciate the little things that she had been taking for  
granted. Walking back into the large bedroom area she said to D, "I'm going  
to need a hairbrush and some other things." D, who was sitting on the only  
bed, looked up and said, "We can take care of that tomorrow when the markets  
open." Then he cast his eyes down a little and continued, "I'm not sure what  
to do about the sleeping arrangements..." His vampire side's hunger was  
still satisfied from the battle against the mutants so she would be in no  
danger from that, but what would he do when his hunger returned? How could  
he dare put this innocent little girl who had already been victimized by a  
vampire in any more of that kind of danger? "Well, since there's only one  
bed..." she said as she sat down close beside him. Not able to think of  
anything more to say, she started to lean up against him, hoping he was  
still receptive. D, realizing he had hard armor and sharp objects under his  
cape, grabbed hold of her and said, "I should take this armor off first." He  
stood up and took his cape and long scarf off first, then proceeded to take  
off anything harmful. His long, curved sword had already been set up against  
the wall and served the purpose of holding his hat. He carefully removed his  
armor, the belt and enameled skull buckle with attached dagger, leather  
boots, and the strap across his chest that held his sword. He left nothing  
but a black shirt and trousers and the dark brown gloves.  
  
He realized his blue pendant was missing, it was an important tool in his  
line of work and he definitely didn't want to lose it. It not only served as  
a flashlight, but its special properties caused weaker creatures of darkness  
to draw back in pain. He turned around to see if Valerian still had it. She  
was now sitting on the bed in nothing but her slip and underclothes. She had  
apparently done this while he was distracted with his own undressing and  
when he saw it the sight of her aroused him a little. She had been living a  
life that made more than a few people out of shape due to lack of physical  
exertion, but she had a petite and youthful figure. After a pause he said,  
"Do you still have that blue pendant?" She reached for her own blue quartz  
pendant that was still around her neck, for a moment thinking of it and  
hoping it was there after all she had been through. She didn't want to lose  
her birthday present, not when it resembled D's eye color so closely. She  
quickly realized what he was talking about and pointed at the beside table  
and said, "Don't worry, I didn't lose it."  
  
With everything in order D turned his attention to the girl. He looked at  
her again for a moment and sat down on the bed beside her. Valerian finally  
leaned up against D and shivered because of his frigid body temperature. She  
looked up at D, and he looked down at her. Their eyes met and she was lost  
in D's amazingly beautiful eyes. They were, as always, tinged with sadness.  
This saddened her too. Then she remembered the legends about vampires not  
having reflections and said, "D, do you know how beautiful your eyes are?" D  
just continued gazing into her eyes and said, "Do you know how your eyes  
sparkle in the light?" Valerian smiled at this and snuggled more closely to  
D. She could hear his faint heartbeat and the sound of it was soothing. D  
held her a while and they were both contented for a for the moment. She was  
already beginning to doze off and she didn't notice anything unusual when D  
slipped off his left glove and held his symbiot close to her head. It caused  
her to fall deeply asleep and D held her a little while longer, then settled  
her under the covers in bed. The memory of his loss of control during the  
fight against the vampire Lamech's mutants came to mind and he cringed  
inside. *I'm sorry, I just don't want to hurt you* Although she had a  
mindspeaking ability, she shouldn't be able to hear him while she was this  
deeply asleep.  
  
D took a short nap and began to feel restless. His human half was worn out  
from a hard day's fight, but his vampire half didn't like being on the upper  
floors. D put on his knife belt, cape, armor, hat, then paused and looked at  
the sword. He wanted to be able to leave it behind just once, to relax and  
not have to worry, but he had learned the hard way a long time ago that  
letting his guard down was a very painful thing to do. He grabbed the sword  
and attached it to its strap at his shoulder, then took the elevator down  
and started wandering around town. It was a rare thing when D had the  
opportunity to slow down and appreciate things, something inside him kept on  
pushing him on and on, never letting him stop for long. Soon he found  
himself in a park and he sat down under a gnarled old tree. He looked around  
and saw no one, and he couldn't sense any danger, so he laid down on the  
ground and tried to relax. It felt so good to be close to the earth. He  
looked up at the few stars in the sky, the city lights were so bright that  
not many stars were visible, and listened to the nocturnal insects buzzing  
and chirping. Then he remembered one reason why he rarely let himself have  
any free time. He began to think, and he thought about what was freshest in  
his mind. He thought about what had happened earlier that day, how he had  
lost control and how he had been tempted by that innocent young girl. What  
was he going to do with her? He couldn't keep her with him forever, his life  
was too dangerous. He tried to put the thought out of his mind for the  
moment, he needed to relax, but images of the mutant squirming between his  
jaws were haunting him. "You just can't get over it can you?" said the left  
hand. "The more you deny your true self the more painful it'll get. And what  
about the girl? She wanted to get close to you! Vampires aren't going to end  
up killing you, it'll be you own self denial that does you in!" D stood up  
angrily and started walking quickly back to the hotel wanting to finally put  
some distance between that creature and himself, inwardly knowing that would  
not happen, but he pressed on anyway. The symbiot got the point and was  
silent once more.  
  
******************************************************  
  
Meanwhile, Valerian was dreaming...  
  
Running. Running as fast as she could. *On all fours again. Why?* It was  
night, so dark, the moon was only a tiny orange sliver in the sky. *Who is  
chasing me?* Still running. *Evil!* She could smell the algae in some water  
that was nearby. *Go for it! * She finally broke out of the underbrush and  
onto the beach. *A lake! * She leapt high into the air and a bright bolt of  
lightning lit the whole sky, followed by the rolling roar of thunder. She  
landed in the lake and the cool water washed over her.  
  
She was now in Lamech's castle, watching D confront the vampire. "My god who  
are you!?" Lamech said feebly. D said nothing and as quick as lightning ran  
his sword through the vampire's heart, all the way to the hilt. Lamech  
screamed in pain and then the scream turned to gurgling laughter as blood  
rushed up his throat. Lamech fell to the ground and laid still, then a  
twisted wraith like version of the vampire rose out of the body.  
  
******************************************************  
Awake again Valerian groggily opened her eyes and looked to her side. She  
saw Lamech in bed beside her and a cold fear shot through her body. She sat  
up quickly and screamed. D ran into the room and straight to Valerian. "Are  
you okay?" asked D. Bewildered, she nodded and said, "I thought I saw Lamech  
in the bed, lying beside me. I guess it was a bad dream, but I thought I was  
awake when I saw him." Tears were coming to her eyes as she continued, "Are  
you sure he's dead? I've heard of vampires coming back plenty of times." D,  
trying to sound reassuring, said, "I made sure he was dead, I destroyed his  
body." D wanted to spare her the gory details of how he had disposed of the  
vampire.  
  
"Okay" Valerian said nervously. D helped her up out of bed and said, "Would  
you like to get some things at the market, it should be open by now." In all  
her confusion she had failed to notice the time, it was day now. The bright  
morning sun was shining beautifully through the huge windows that made up  
the outer wall, and light and shadow danced together on the green tree  
leaves swaying in the wind outside. "Yes." she said and D left her to dress  
and get ready.  
  
******************************************************  
  
The city during the day was busy and noisy. People talking, the hooves of  
cyborg horses clacking metallically, wagons being loaded and unloaded, motor  
driven cars, the cries of farm animals, and many other sounds filled the  
air. It was a bright morning, a very refreshing sight after the dark night  
before. Valerian was browsing market stalls picking up things she thought  
she might need, a hairbrush, toothpaste and toothbrush, and various  
necessities with D following her closely.  
  
She would have passed by the herb cart without thinking a thing about it if  
something in one of the bins hadn't caught her eye. "D!" she cried, "This is  
the same herb that was in a pile on my bedside table after Lamech attacked  
me!" D came closer to get a good look at it. *Mugwort* D thought. Valerian  
heard his thought and asked, *What's that? * D responded, *I read that  
mugwort is said to help in controlling dreams and astral projection if  
placed by the bedside. * Valerian stared at the herbs for a moment and then  
thought to D, *I had a nightmare and when I woke up Lamech was there, then I  
found the herbs the next morning. * They started walking again. Then D  
remembered something he had heard a long time ago and thought, *I see, so he  
was the Dream Eater. I heard a noble in this area was called that because he  
not only fed on human blood, but he also enjoyed taking the energy of humans  
while they were frightened and having nightmares. In ancient times there  
were legends of a creature called a baku. It would eat the nightmares of  
sleeping people. In the legends it was usually a lot more benevolent than  
Lamech was*  
  
The frightened Valerian thought, *I hope he can't come back another way.*  
and proceeded to tell D about the nightmare she had before she saw Lamech in  
the bed beside her. *You couldn't have seen that, you were in another  
room... and that wraith... This could be a problem, but I think I know who  
can help. * thought D to Valerian.  
  
******************************************************  
  
D had heard of three benevolent sages that lived nearby who might be able to  
help their situation. They lived a cabin in the foothills of a mountain, in  
an oak forest. D told Valerian about them on the way. Sages weren't always  
benevolent in this frightening world filled with evil creatures so D had to  
reassure her that these were friendly. They finally arrived at the cabin at  
midday. It was on the top of a hill and a plume of smoke was rising from the  
top of the chimney. They both stood before the door and D knocked. After a  
short while the door was opened by a woman with hawk-red hair and kind eyes.  
"Hello" she said. "My friend here," D said as he looked down at the much  
shorter Valerian, "is having some unusual trouble, and I heard you might be  
able to help." The woman looked at both of them and said, "Come in, we were  
just making dinner."  
  
There were two other people in the cabin sitting at a table, a tall man with  
long blond hair, and a shorter man with long red hair. The shorter man was  
helping out with cooking by grating some cheese. He smiled and said "Howdy!"  
when the two strangers entered the house. The taller man was doing something  
with some tarot cards on the table and seemed to be engrossed in his own  
business, but eventually he looked up and said, "Hi!" Valerian noticed all  
this cooking activity and saw an opportunity to do something she had been  
longing to do since home economics class at school. "Is there anything that  
I could do to help?" she said to the woman. She smiled and said, "Sure!"  
then began giving Valerian instructions while D sat down at the table and  
started talking to the man with the tarot cards.  
  
Eventually, dinner preparations were finished and they all sat down to eat.  
They had a pasta and cheese dinner with fresh baked bread and green tea.  
Valerian commented on how good the food was, and she meant it. It was far  
better than any of the expensive gourmet food she had to eat at home, and  
she could eat much more too. She had always been kept on a strict "diet" as  
her mother called it. At one point she was practically skin and bones, and  
with all that wealth! Once during the meal she became a little overly  
enthusiastic with her eating and she choked on a piece of food. D, who was  
sitting beside her, had to use the hiemlech maneuver on her. Once she was  
out of danger D said, "Careful, you need to slow down." The shorter man  
said, "The way she eats it's a wonder she keeps her figure." The taller sage  
responded, "That's no surprise, really." and stared straight a Valerian. D  
noticed this and gave the man who had made such an odd comment a questioning  
look. The rest of the meal was finished uneventfully.  
  
******************************************************  
  
Meanwhile, a very unusual woman was making her way through the desert. She  
was dressed in a plain, black outfit consisting of a simple pair of shoes, a  
sleeveless shirt and a pair of shorts that went down to her knees. A hole  
was cut in the back of her shorts to let her long, yellowish-tan tail  
through. Her hair was of the same color and so were her large, pointed ears.  
She kept the ears and tail in her humanoid form for her own vanity and to  
set herself apart from the humans that she disliked so greatly. The tufted  
tip of her relaxed tail brushed the back of her bare legs as she lazily  
walked along the dirt trail. She was very bored and was looking up at the  
clouds that were drifting by. Occasionally, a bird would dart by and she  
would watch it hungrily and wish for her own set of wings to help her reach  
a much needed meal. Even lizards were scarce here and she hadn't seen a sign  
of intelligent life, human, mutant, or otherwise, using the trail in about  
two days.  
  
Suddenly, she saw a movement out of the corner of her left eye and froze.  
Slowly and carefully, she turned her head just enough to see what it was. A  
desert hare! It was a good distance off the trail and it hadn't noticed her  
yet so she started to quietly stalk it. She was hiding behind a pile of  
large rocks just a few feet away from it and she was ready to strike when  
she was interrupted.  
  
"Hey cutie, c'mere!" called a voice from under the rocks.  
  
The catgirl let out a feline shriek and leaped into the air in surprise. The  
hare was nowhere in sight when she regained her human composure and she  
started sniffing the air around the rocks, trying to find the source of the  
voice. She couldn't find any fresh scents so she stood up and yelled, "Come  
out here you coward!"  
  
"I can't!" it answered.  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"I'll burn up!"  
  
"What are you talking about?"  
  
"I'm a vampire!"  
  
"A vampire? I ought to drag you out here in the sun you parasite! You made  
me lose that hare, do you know how rare food is out here!"  
  
"If you help me you won't go unrewarded!"  
  
"How's that?"  
  
"I'm a very wealthy noble!"  
  
"What's a very wealthy noble doing out in the middle of such a sunny  
desert?"  
  
"Some greedy human bounty hunters who thought they could make money off of  
any vampire's death gave me some trouble, but I got away!"  
  
This struck a personal tone with her, humans had hated and abused her for  
most of her life.  
  
"Yeah, humans are like that. So, what do you need ME to do."  
  
"Well, I don't know this area very well and I don't want to get caught  
without shelter when sunrise comes around. You seem to know where you're  
going."  
  
"Well, the next town is less than a two night walk from here, but if you  
tell me where your castle or whatever is then I can try to get you there."  
  
"Don't worry about that, if you get me to the next town I can handle it from  
there."  
  
******************************************************  
  
After dinner was finished and dish washing was done by all but the  
apologetic D, Valerian went to bed. She wasn't used to such busy days. Then  
D and the others sat down for a serious talk. D explained the situation to  
the sages.  
  
And Valerian started to have another dream. She was in a general store with  
many people around but no one seemed to notice her. She was standing beside  
shelves of bolts of cloth and behind her was a counter with a cutting board  
on it. Suddenly, the crowded area in front of her cleared and formed an  
inwardly pointing circle of people, as if to observe her. The circle parted  
for a moment, only long enough to admit Lamech. He stared at her greedily  
and began telling the crowd various lies about her, that she was a murderer  
and a slut. Valerian flew into a rage. Her nails formed into claws and she  
shredded the vampire's face and head into a bloody mess before Lamech could  
do anything about it.  
  
******************************************************  
  
Night had fallen in the desert and a nearly full moon hung high in the  
cloudless sky bathing everything in a pale, gentle light. "The sun's gone,  
come out already!" the catgirl whined. The vampire leapt dramatically out of  
his hiding place and proclaimed, "I am Rex Copper the Great!" He was a lanky  
man with very pale skin and disheveled looking shoulder length red hair.  
Most of his body was covered by a long black mantle. "My name is Dawn. If  
you're so great then why haven't I ever heard of you?" said the catgirl.  
"Dawn, I'm hurt! A modern, beautiful young lady such as yourself hasn't  
heard of the Noble family Copper? We're direct descendants of the Sacred  
Ancestor himself!" Rex declared. "Mmmmm... Oh, sacred, yeah." Dawn mumbled  
as she batted at a moth that flew by. She then started for the road and  
said, "Are you ready? Let's go!"  
  
******************************************************  
  
Valerian awoke the next day and prepared be on her way again. The air was  
cool and refreshing, and the birds were singing their songs of daybreak. The  
shroud of fog over the forest was just beginning to lift and the morning sun  
shone brightly. Everything that the sunlight touched was bathed in the color  
of the sun, even D's usually dark armor and cyborg horse shone gold. "I'm  
ready!" she called to D as she exited the cabin. She walked up to the cyborg  
horse that D was standing beside. D looked down at Valerian with much  
concern in his eyes, almost bordering on worry. Seeing this caused her to  
mirror D's concern in her own eyes and she asked, "D, is everything okay?"  
Unwavering, D helped her up on his horse and answered, "We have a lot of  
things to do." Then he sat in the saddle behind her and rode away.  
  
******************************************************  
  
"Ugh, that was sooo boring, all he did was flirt with me!" said Dawn as she  
prepared for a long and hot day of waiting for the sun to set again. The  
vampire was taking a dirt nap in another cave and Dawn was lazily napping  
under a nearby date palm, occasionally nibbling on some of the fallen fruit  
and drinking from her canteen. The small meal was much easier to catch than  
a desert hare, but not as satisfying.  
  
******************************************************  
  
"So, what exactly do we do first?" Valerian asked after they had traveled  
out of the forest and the fields were thinning out into arid plains.  
"First," D said, "You need to tell me about every dream you have about  
Lamech. Did you have one last night?" Valerian nodded yes, and she told him  
about her dream. When she came to the part about her growing claws D came as  
close to gasping as a taciturn man such as himself could. Fortunately for  
him, Valerian was so caught up in telling her story that she didn't notice  
his barely audible reaction.  
  
****************************************************** 


	2. Part 2

---------------------------------------------------------------------  
Dark Mind, Dark Heart  
  
Part 2  
  
It was nearing evening, but the sky was darkened with clouds that refused to  
give the desert a much needed rain. The clouds occasionally parted to reveal  
the peak of the full moon. The sunlight was reduced enough to allow Rex to  
continue his journey with Dawn's guidance. Shortly after they had begun  
walking they heard an unearthly howling in the distance. Upon hearing it  
Dawn asked, "You vampires can control mutant werewolves, right?" Rex sneered  
at her and said, "As long as they're not already being controlled." Dawn  
just rolled her eyes at him. Suddenly, a huge and shaggy, stinky beast rose  
up in front of them from behind a large rock. It was about eight or nine  
feet tall and had a crooked malformed tail. Dawn shifted form into a huge  
cat and tried to run away. In an inhuman voice the beast said to Rex, "You  
will not escape." Rex shouted, "Oh Shiiiiit!!!!!!" and ran after her.  
Meanwhile, the other werewolves were circling around them to close off their  
escape.  
  
Unfortunately for D and Valerian, they were in the wrong place at the wrong  
time. As one of the huge beasts came running at them, D's cyborg horse's  
animal instincts got the better of it due to a programming malfunction and  
it cried out as it unexpectedly reared up on its hind legs. D's normally  
excellent reflexes were worn down from such a hot sunny day earlier and he  
wasn't able to stop Valerian from being thrown from the horse. Then he tried  
to dismount but the insane werewolf saw a weak spot in the situation and  
tore headlong into the horse, breaking D's legs in the process. The horse  
fell to the ground in a bloody mess and the creature, who was foaming at the  
mouth from madness, tore at the horse's few flesh parts with its massive  
jaws. D had been thrown to the side and tried to sit up and draw his sword  
but the pain was overwhelming and he passed out from the various internal  
injuries he had sustained.  
  
Later Dawn, who had returned to a more human form, and Rex ran by. Rex,  
seeing a beautiful and unconscious young lady laying on the ground next to  
what seemed to be a dead man and the abandoned wreckage of the cyborg horse,  
decided to sling the girl over his shoulder and take her with him. "What the  
hell are you doing?!" Dawn shouted. Rex said, "Just rescuing a damsel in  
distress! Plus, I think that if it wasn't for the werewolf running into  
them I don't think we would've gotten the opening we needed to escape."  
  
******************************************************  
  
"So THIS is your castle?!" Dawn exclaimed. "Well as I said, those human  
bounty hunters gave me a little trouble. I wasn't going to bring such a  
lovely young lady here until I fixed this place up a little. The hunters  
ransacked the place you see." responded Rex. Dawn looked at her surroundings  
as they took Valerian to a couch in what was left of a library. Aside from a  
few freshly disturbed places here and there, and claw marks of all things,  
the place looked like it had been ransacked about five years ago. They put  
her on the couch and Dawn sat down and tended to her wounds. Luckily for  
Valerian her injuries were only minor scrapes and bruises. Dawn was dabbing  
some rubbing alcohol that Rex had brought her on a particularly painful  
wound and Valerian cringed. She woke up a little but her head was clouded at  
first. She saw Dawn and groggily asked, "What's wrong with your ears?" Dawn  
was insulted and mumbled, "Stuck up little human, this is the thanks I get!"  
Seeing feline fangs as she talked, Valerian snapped to full alertness and  
stuttered, "Vaa... vaa... vampire!!!" Rex, who had been lounging in a chair  
in the hallway just outside, walked in the room and said, "No silly! I'm  
the vampire, she's one of the cat-people." This really frightened the  
already nervous and disoriented girl. Dawn noticed and said, "Now look at  
what you've done, she's shaking like a leaf. I told you we should've left  
her behind." Valerian started to remember what had happened and asked,  
"Where's D?! Where am I?" Rex responded by saying, "Oh, was that your  
boyfriend's name? He's dead but don't worry you're in my castle now, you'll  
be safe." "NOOOOOOO!!!!" Valerian screamed. She started to cry and run for  
the door saying, "He promised he'd keep me safe, he can't be dead!!! I've  
got to go find him." Rex stopped her by grabbing her arm and said, "A dead  
human isn't going to do you much good." Valerian spun around and said, "You  
don't understand, D's a dhampire!"  
  
******************************************************  
  
D, on the other hand, wasn't doing so well. It was still night and some two  
headed vultures were picking at the little flesh that was left on the cyborg  
horse. Fortunately for D, they didn't find him appetizing. "D! D! Wake up!!  
I swear, the situations you mange to get yourself into never cease to amaze  
me!" shouted the symbiot. It started to try to bury D in the sandy dust that  
passed for dirt there in the desert, but it made slow progress since it only  
had control over D's left hand and arm. The wind picked up on occasion and  
sometimes blew more dirt on him, other times it blew some off. This was  
really getting on its nerves. Then the symbiot heard an odd noise off in the  
distance. It sounded like a bizarre human-like mixture of laughing and  
whooping. "Boudas!" the symbiot shouted. "They were probably attracted by  
the smell of blood, D!" "Oh, right, you're dead. You can't hear me can you?"  
it taunted. "They want meat by night and money and scrap metal by day, good  
thing we have all three." it said, looking first at the bag of coins at D's  
side and then the remains of the cyborg horse still being picked at by the  
mutant vultures. The symbiot started throwing rocks at them to try to drive  
them all away. It only managed to slow them down, they would just fly up in  
the air a little and land in a different place. Still, it was enough to slow  
them down until the boudas came. The pack finally arrived, a group of  
spotted hyenas with gold earrings in their ears. They mostly ignored D, but  
occasionally one would come over to smell of him.  
  
******************************************************  
  
"Look, honey, dhampires can die, even vampires can die. I didn't sense his  
life force so he seemed to be dead. We can't even look for him until the  
moon sets, those mutant werewolves would make short work of us." said Rex.  
"Mutant werewolves?" Valerian asked nervously. The memory of what had  
happened wasn't completely clear to her yet. Dawn, who was still sitting,  
curled her long feline tail around her waist and spoke up, "They're  
human-wolf mutants that the vampires made. They were like pets and were used  
for entertainment in fighting competitions. Vampires fused human and wolf  
DNA together in an unstable mix. Whenever the moon is full they go insane  
and while their minds are weakened they're easy for the vampires to control.  
They'll be less of a threat by day and much more human but they're still  
very strong, and smelly." Rex led her back to the couch and said, "You've  
been through a lot dear, you need to rest." His pupils glew red for a second  
and Valerian was in a deep sleep.  
  
******************************************************  
  
The boudas had spent the rest of the night resting around the wreckage. It  
was morning when the symbiot spoke up, they were in human form again and  
much more able to speak back. They were all men, desert people in a  
traditional clothing style that hadn't changed in thousands of years, and of  
course they still had their traditional gold earrings. Most of the men were  
picking up and carrying what metal they could salvage from the cyborg horse.  
The one with the most gold earrings came over to the partially dust-covered  
D. "Hello!" said the symbiot to the very surprised bouda. "What the... a  
hand is talking to me!" he exclaimed. The symbiot just smiled a gruesome  
smile and said, "If you help us you'll be paid very well!"  
  
******************************************************  
  
Valerian had slept a mostly dreamless sleep for once, thanks to Rex, but she  
had been very nervous since she had been separated from D and she awoke with  
back spasms for the first time since she had left her former home of Rokes  
Manor. Dawn, despite her distaste for humans, had grown a tiny bit attached  
to what she saw as a helpless little girl. She had been keeping an eye on  
Valerian and was at her side when she saw her writhing in pain. "What's  
wrong, hon?" Dawn asked. "Back spasms, I get them a lot." responded  
Valerian. Dawn rushed to another part of the castle and after a short while  
she returned with a rubber hot water bottle. She then helped Valerian turn  
over and laid the hot water bottle on the girl's painful back. "Thank you."  
said Valerian. All the commotion had attracted Rex, who was now leaning up  
against a door frame. He saw Valerian on the couch and said, "When you're  
finished being sick we can go look for your boyfriend." Dawn snapped back at  
him, "I bet you've never been sick in your life, vampire." Rex just laughed  
and said, "Nope, I was born a vampire and I'll die a vampire!" Dawn said  
under her breath, "I'll see to that." Rex grinned and said, "I'll bet the  
beautiful young woman on the couch isn't against me!" Valerian pulled a  
blanket over herself and grumbled, "He's not my boyfriend."  
  
******************************************************  
  
"You want me to do what? But I thought you wanted to save him!" said the  
tribal leader of the boudas. "Burying him IS how he'll be saved!" said the  
symbiot. "Well, after seeing a talking hand I'll be willing to believe  
almost anything. Take him outside and bury him!" commanded the tribal  
leader. Two strong men carried D outside, the small village was mostly quiet  
except for the occasional sound of a hammer hitting an anvil or the  
crackling of fire. They laid him on the ground and left for a moment then  
returned with shovels. After digging a shallow hole big enough for the very  
tall dhampire they put him in it and started heaping dirt on top of him.  
"Hey! I said bury him not me!" yelled the symbiot after one of the shovels  
full of dirt hit it instead. After D was mostly buried the symbiot went to  
work. A forge was nearby so it sucked some of the flames of the fire into  
himself, but not enough to make the fire go out. Then he picked a couple of  
handfuls of dirt and ate that. Meanwhile, the men who had dug the hole were  
trying to figure out if they were supposed to be amazed, disgusted, or  
scared. Once the symbiot had gathered enough elemental energy it used it to  
revive and heal D. The two men were still watching this all in shock and  
amazement, from what they could tell they had just seen a man come back from  
the dead. "D, we need to go pay the tribal leader and his men." said the  
symbiot as if it was business as usual. The still stunned men led D the  
leader.  
  
******************************************************  
  
"Feeling better?" asked Dawn. "Yes, thanks." said Valerian as she yawned and  
stretched. Her back was feeling better and she was more than ready to go  
searching for D. "Lets get going if you want to look for your dhampire  
friend." said Dawn. They both stood and Valerian followed Dawn through the  
musty old castle to the stables where Rex was already waiting. "Good to see  
you're well again! So, you're not his girlfriend? Does that mean you're  
available?" asked the grinning Rex. Valerian simply said, "No." while trying  
to hide her disgust. She then picked out a black cyborg horse that reminded  
her of the DL4 that D used to have and mounted it. When Dawn was on her  
horse Rex said, "I'm sorry I can't join you two lovely ladies, I sunburn  
very easily!" The two women rode out of the stable wordlessly, both trying  
to resist the temptation to bring the rude vampire with them into the midday  
sun.  
  
******************************************************  
  
The tribal leader was surprised when he saw D walk in the building. "It's  
good to see you up and walking!" said the leader, but he wasn't sure if it  
was a good thing or not to see him. D looked like more of a ghost now than  
he did when he was dead. His already deathly pale skin and hair were  
accented even more by his dark black clothing and cape. His beautiful but  
sad eyes were an otherworldly light blue. "I am grateful for your help. I  
what do I owe you." D said in his usual monotone. He looked at D carefully  
and said "You look like a hunter with that long sword of yours, we've been  
having a problem with those werewolves that attacked you. They killed two of  
our men in the last few days while looking for a vampire. Do you think you  
could help us?" "Yes." said D, "But I'm going to need a new horse. Also, did  
you happen to see a girl near me when you found me?" D was dreading the  
answer to his question, an innocent little girl like Valerian wouldn't stand  
a chance against a werewolf. "No, and the only blood we found was yours and  
the horse's." said the tribal leader, much to D's relief. There was still a  
chance that she had survived.  
  
D found another heavy duty DL4 cyborg horse in the stables and went on his  
way, looking for Valerian and the werewolves. He headed for the site of the  
incident first, to look for clues to what may have happened to Valerian.  
Then the symbiot spoke up, "I saw a man pick Valerian up and carry her away.  
He was with a woman, they might still be nearby." Another bit of hope. D  
might have missed it completely if it wasn't for the strong smell of blood.  
He was hungry, and not in a human way, because of all the wear and tear he  
had gone through so that aspect of his sense of smell was stronger than  
usual. He would hate to find Valerian when he was that hungry so he stopped  
to take a blood pill. He cracked open the scored glass vial and poured the  
powdered contents into a small bottle of water he had brought with him. He  
drank this and his hunger waned.  
  
The site was very close so he continued on his way. The sand had covered  
almost everything. The blood spots on the ground were just barely visible  
and there were still a few bits and pieces left of his former cyborg horse.  
He scanned the ground closely. There were no footprints left, not even of  
the boudas, the wind had taken care of that. He didn't find anything unusual  
on the ground so he started scanning his surroundings. Off in the distance  
he could just make out two riders approaching. Not sure if they were friend  
or foe, D mounted his own new horse. He would hate to get trampled by an  
enemy's horse. As the riders came closer D noticed that one of them looked  
like Valerian so he rode over closer to them. It was her! And she was very  
happy to see him. "D!" she shouted in happiness. D barely had time to  
dismount before Valerian was off her own horse and hugging him. D didn't  
mind this at all, and he was happy that she was alive and well. "D! I was so  
worried!" said the excited Valerian. "I'm glad you're okay." said D with bit  
of relief in his usually emotionless voice. After she was finally able to  
let go of D for a moment Valerian introduced D to Dawn. "Dawn." he said,  
"The dream spiritualist?" "Yes, how do you know me?" she asked. D responded,  
"I had heard that you would be in the area now. If you don't mind, I'd like  
to talk to you later privately. In a better place than this." Dawn nodded,  
understanding the basic nature of what D might need to talk about.  
  
Valerian and Dawn took D to the castle where they introduced D to Rex. D  
couldn't stop staring at Rex. Rex finally said, "Look, I don't swing that  
way so don't get any ideas." "Ace." was all D said, but it made the  
vampire's blood run cold with fear. *What do you want, who are you?* Rex  
thought to D. *There's a pretty high bounty on your head. Those werewolves  
were after you, weren't they?* thought D. *If it's money you want I've got  
it! * the nervous vampire thought as he started to back away. *I'm warning  
you, I'm a direct descendent of the Sacred Ancestor Dracula! * he continued.  
D just stared at him, thinking, *I don't think he would like it if he heard  
that you were stealing from some of the most powerful vampire Houses. And  
charming your way into the beds of countless human villagers. Do you know  
how many dhampire children you've sired! * All the while, Dawn and Valerian  
had heard every thought. Dawn had sneaked behind Ace. Valerian had gone to  
find some rope. As soon as Valerian had returned with the rope Dawn made her  
move, restraining his arms and slamming him down on the floor. "WHAT THE  
HELL!" was all he could shout before D was on top of him and tying his hands  
behind his back. "They want you alive." was all D said.  
  
They had tied him to a chair in a locked room. The only way out would be  
through a window, and during the day he wouldn't get far. Valerian was  
resting in a bedroom while Dawn and D discussed matters. "I see, this is  
bad. But it also could be good for her. She's a late bloomer, and in that  
Manor she might've never gotten a chance to even try." said Dawn after D  
explained the situation to her. "I'm not sure if this is such a good idea."  
said D. Dawn smiled and said, "Don't worry, she's a lot stronger than she  
seems." D and Dawn then went down the hall to the bedroom that Valerian was  
in. D knocked on the door and said, "Valerian?" "D? Come in!" was her  
response. She was sitting on the middle of the bed. D came around and sat of  
her left side, Dawn on her right. The three formed a small circle on the  
soft bed. D spoke first, "Dawn is the person that the sages recommended, she  
can help you get Lamech out of your dreams." Valerian turned to look at  
Dawn. "I'm going to need you to close your eyes and relax, both of you."  
said Dawn. "Now hold the hand of the person beside you." she continued.  
After a short while they began to dream, and they were all in Valerian's  
dream.  
  
They were in a birch forest in the middle of winter. The ground was covered  
with snow and it sparkled in the light of the full moon. The air was cool  
and crisp and the cloudless sky revealed millions of stars. All was quiet,  
not even a cricket chirped. The wind started blowing and Valerian shivered.  
D noticed this and gave her his cape to help her keep warm. "What do we do  
now?" asked Valerian. "We find Lamech." Dawn answered. Suddenly, a shadow  
began to form with smaller shadows gathering to one point. It then rose from  
the ground like wisps of smoke, eventually forming the image of Lamech.  
"What lies have you been telling them girl?!" it said. Dawn quickly said to  
Valerian, "Reach inside yourself, you alone have to power to defeat him!  
Look at his face! Look at those scars you gave him!" "The little bitch!"  
snarled Lamech, "You're all going to pay for her defiance!" The former  
vampire then raised its hand and all three dreamers were suspended in the  
air and frozen still. "I rule the land of dreams, now you will watch your  
friends die!" D and Dawn began to scream and shake in pain. "No. D, Dawn, I  
can't let him do this! I won't let him!!!!" screamed Valerian. Her eyes  
turned yellow and she began to grow fangs and claws. Her whole body lit up  
with blue glowing energy. Her heart stopped for a moment and she felt like  
she had been hit in the chest with a baseball bat. It started again  
instantly, but it was much faster. Her body temperature began to rise and  
she started to grow grey fur. Hands became paws, arms became legs, ears  
became large and pointed, and she grew a snout and tail. Screams became  
roars of anger. In one final burst of blue energy she broke Lamech's hold on  
her and her friends. She dropped to the ground, now a magnificent  
silvery-grey wolf. A large and angry wolf. She lowered her head but not her  
body into a stalking position. She stared Lamech in the eyes, in the ancient  
exchange between predator and prey. The Lamech wraith was prey the instant  
it started to run. It ran and ran but Valerian never tired. Eventually,  
Lamech did. After Lamech fell to the ground Valerian did the only thing that  
a lone wolf could to kill larger prey, eating it alive. She tore at flesh  
and swallowed without chewing. She ate every last trace until Lamech was no  
more.  
  
The three dreamers awoke. D and Dawn found themselves no longer holding the  
hands of Valerian. They were now holding her paws. She was sleeping soundly,  
she now had her own dreams back. *Her fur looks like it's dusted with  
silver.* thought D. Dawn said, "Then her wolf name will be Silverdust." 


	3. Part 3

Dark Mind, Dark Heart  
Part 3  
  
**WARNING** The following part contains descriptive sexual situations. If  
you're not old enough to read it or can't handle it then don't read it.  
  
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@  
  
Valerian slept soundly through what was left of the night and half of the  
day. When she awoke, however, things weren't so peaceful. She didn't know  
how to use this new body, let alone get back to her old form. She started  
panicking and trying to stand on two legs on the bed. Her body was still a  
wolf but her mind had returned to a more human state. D seemed to be the  
only one that could calm her. Fortunately, Dawn had briefed D on the basics  
of what Valerian was.  
  
Valerian had stopped in front of D, who was sitting on the bed, and just  
stood there and whimpered. Her vocal cords were no longer equipped for human  
speech. That's when her mindspeaking ability really came in handy.  
  
*D, help me, I don't know what's happened to me!*  
  
*Valerian, it's okay. I'm here for you. You're a shapeshifter, your body has  
become that of a wolf. Do you remember the dream?*  
  
*A little. How can I get back to normal?*  
  
*Imagine yourself as your human self again. Imagine your body changing  
back.*  
  
After a moment, Valerian's body began to glow with blue energy again. The  
transition from wolf into human was a bit more gentle. As soon as she was  
finished she was crying, sitting naked on the bed. D pulled a blanket up  
over her and held her as she cried. Valerian looked up at D and said, "I'm  
scared D." D looked down at the trembling girl and said, "I know, it not an  
easy thing when you learn you're not human. Things are going to get a lot  
harder for you, but I'm going to be there with you, every step of the way. I  
swear it." This comforted Valerian, not just D's words but something deep  
down in his soul came out with those words. She knew D meant it. It made her  
want to get closer to D even more. She finally felt safe in D's arms. She  
felt calm and relaxed, and slowly she worked her arms out from under the  
blanket and around D. And D didn't care about restraint anymore, he didn't  
stop her. She was like him, inhuman, caught between two worlds.  
  
He started nuzzling her cheek. It turned into light kisses and he worked his  
way to her mouth. When D started kissing her on the mouth her whole body  
came alive with desire and D hadn't felt this good from such a simple  
pleasure for a very long time. D let Valerian start work on removing some of  
his clothes and he had already pushed the blanket aside and begun to feel of  
Valerian's body, running his hands over her soft skin. "Mmmmm D..." With  
every touch and every moment they wanted each other more and more. They were  
both nude now and D pulled the covers over both of them and laid down with  
Valerian beside him. The touching became more and more intimate and Valerian  
found herself touching a man in a way that she had never touched one before.  
D grunted with pleasure. He had been stroking her inner thighs and now  
started to touch her most intimate spot. He rested part of his hand on her  
outside while he worked his fingers inside her. She started to let out  
little moans of pleasure as he moved around inside her. "D... please..." D  
reached over to a nearby table and grabbed a condom. This was definitely  
Ace's castle, they were everywhere. He now moved on top of her, teasing her  
with kisses here and there. They both positioned themselves and D started to  
push inside her. She was untouched before now and her body was small. "Oh,  
ow, D!" "Should I stop?" D asked, every fiber of his body screaming to  
continue. "No, don't stop. Please don't stop." He pushed harder, hoping to  
get it over quickly. She was already very wet and it helped him finally get  
inside her. "Oh D..." "Valerian..." They held each other for a moment and  
then D started pushing again. It wasn't long before he broke fully inside  
her and Valerian was working as hard as D. Writhing in pleasure, they  
touched and explored, worked and moved, all to see and do what felt most  
pleasurable. Harder and harder they worked to climax, Valerian wasn't the  
stereotypical shy virgin, she was as ravenous as D. Screaming and moaning  
with pleasure and supernatural vigor, their bodies began to glow as they  
reached their goal. Exhausted and spent they fell asleep quickly, holding  
each other close.  
  
******************************************************  
  
Ace, on the other hand, wasn't having such a good time. He had worked the  
ropes that bound him since Dawn left to go on her way and he had acquired  
some nasty rope burns. Dawn had let just enough light in through the  
curtains on the windows to weaken him, he wasn't going to have the energy to  
regenerate for a while. The sun had finally set while D and Valerian slept  
and he was almost free. "C'mon now, dammit! Just a little more... Yes!" His  
hands were free now and he removed the rest of his bindings. He ran to the  
window, opened it, and jumped two stories down. He landed hard and  
awkwardly. "Oh shit my legs! They're gonna pay for this!" he said as he  
limped off into the distance.  
  
******************************************************  
  
A while after Ace escaped, D and Valerian woke up. D was first to awake, and  
he nudged Valerian into consciousness after he began to realize how long  
they'd been asleep.  
  
"Wake up my dear."  
  
"Hmmm..."  
  
"It's late, we need to check on Ace."  
  
"Who's Ace."  
  
"Rex"  
  
"Don't care. Wanna snuggle."  
  
"There's a pretty large bounty on his head."  
  
"Really?"  
  
Valerian sat up and they kissed and snuggled for a moment and then they  
dressed. D had found her some more practical clothes, some brown pants and a  
blue button-down shirt. She had never worn anything like that before, only  
dresses and skirts. They felt a bit odd at first but got used to them  
quickly. When they were finished they went to check on Ace.  
  
The only thing left on the chair was a pile of rope. D walked to the open  
window and looked down. He could see where Ace had landed in the sandy dirt.  
"Let's go downstairs and get a closer look." he said.  
  
Soon they were downstairs and looking at the ground. They could see how  
awkwardly he had landed and how he had struggled to get back up. They could  
also see the limp in his footprints. "He didn't go anywhere near the horse  
stables, he's not thinking clearly. He's obviously injured so he'll be  
looking for shelter." stated D. He was in his professional hunter mindset  
now. First they went to get their horses, then they started following Ace's  
tracks.  
  
It wasn't long until they reached a cave. The opening was rather small, but  
D and Valerian could still crawl inside easily. The inside opened up to a  
large tunnel, with plenty of head room for the very tall D. There were two  
train-like sets of track, one vacant and the other had a vehicle on it. A  
boxy silver car with seating for four. D got in the driver's seat and  
Valerian in the passenger side. The controls were simple, a green button for  
go and a red button for stop. D pressed the green button and the car began  
to slowly move. It soon came to a downward slope and it picked up speed.  
  
Eventually it reached a well lit area covered in light colored tiles that  
had been made into an underground building. When the car neared the end of  
the track D pressed the red button and it slowed to a stop in the middle of  
a circle. The other car was there too. They started walking to the end of  
the tunnel and saw that there was a huge room at the end. They reached the  
end of the pathway and saw that less than a fourth of the room ahead of them  
still had tile on the floor, only the part nearest the pathway. The floor of  
the enormous room was also about three feet below the pathway they were  
still on. Valerian jumped down first, then D. She reached the edge of the  
tile first and was in for a big surprise. Before she could set foot off the  
tile thousands of muddy hands and arms reached up from the floor. The ones  
closest to her grabbed greedily for any part of her they could get, but D  
was too fast for them and pulled her away before it was too late. "You  
okay?" asked D as he held her close to him and far from the mud arms. "I'm  
okay, thank you D" answered Valerian.  
  
"Isn't that sweet, and I thought you said he wasn't your boyfriend!" called  
a voice from the far left. D and Valerian turned around and glared at Ace  
and he just laughed at them. Suddenly, Valerian screamed. D spun around to  
see a creature that was shaped like a beautiful woman but it was a bubble.  
It was coming closer to Valerian and she was backing away. D drew his sword.  
Valerian made it back up onto the ledge but before she could get out of  
range it managed to gently caress her bare ankle. D was very angry so he  
slashed it with his sword. It popped and was no more. While D was still  
distracted with Valerian a door near Ace slid open and revealed a classroom.  
Ace was the only one who noticed this. A very real looking and very  
beautiful woman beckoned to Ace from inside the room and he was more than  
willing to follow. The door slid closed behind him and after a moment it  
slid open again Ace stepped back out. He had an unusually blank expression  
on his face and he just stood there waiting. D turned around, walked up to  
Ace, and punched him in the face hard. Ace fell to the ground and D tied the  
vampire's hands behind his back. Ace said nothing the whole time, even when  
D led him back to the cars. D threw him in the back seat and tied his feet.  
  
D pulled a lever beside the circle that the car was on and it turned  
completely around, ready for a return trip. It was slow going up the hill  
but they eventually reached the surface. Valerian went out first, followed  
by D dragging ace behind him. It was still night and the air was cool. The  
moon was still pretty full so they decided to hurry. D slung the still quiet  
Ace across the back end of his horse and they made their way back to the  
castle.  
  
This time they used chains to restrain him. D left Valerian to watch Ace, he  
had to keep his promise to the boudas and kill the werewolf mutants. Before  
he left D said to Ace, "Try anything and she'll shapeshift into a wolf and  
tear you to shreds." D then left and Valerian began to get bored. She found  
a few books but none of them were in any language that she could read. They  
didn't even have any pictures. She had nothing to do but pace.  
  
******************************************************  
  
Meanwhile, D was tracking. He had already begun to hear the eerie, tortured  
howls again. He followed the sound until the pack suddenly surrounded him.  
There were five of them and the biggest of them approached D. "Where is  
Rex?" It growled. D just drew his sword and said, "He is known as Ace among  
humans and he is a wanted man. I will bring him to justice." The lead  
werewolf grinned, showing jagged, yellow and rotten teeth. D dismounted and  
rushed at it. The beast tried to strike back but the rested and rejuvenated  
D was as fast as lightning. D easily killed the leader and then turned his  
attention to the others. They all rushed him at the same time. D had no  
trouble at all dodging the huge beasts. One by one he killed them and then  
severed their heads to bring to the boudas as proof of his kills.  
  
******************************************************  
  
Valerian was still pacing. She was beginning wonder why Ace hadn't said  
anything since D punched him. Something about it worried her. She stopped  
pacing, looked at Ace, and said, "You've been awfully quiet. Did D hurt your  
pride?" Ace just looked at her blankly and, in more of a monotone than even  
D himself could hope to produce, asked, "Have you ever given birth?"  
  
******************************************************  
  
D rode up to the bouda camp with the five werewolf heads fastened to various  
places on the sides of his horse. The boudas were very happy to see this.  
The tribe's leader rushed out with a pouch of gold, gave it to D, and said,  
"If you ever need metalsmithing services you know where to go!" The other  
boudas had removed the werewolf heads and placed them on the ends of long  
stakes around camp. D rode away wordlessly, on his way back to Valerian.  
  
******************************************************  
  
"What the hell are you talking out about you jerk!" shouted Valerian. She  
was angry and unsettled now. She started to look around for a weapon and  
found a sword. She held it at him and growled, "You want to say that again?"  
Ace's head fell over to the side and he asked, "How do you give birth?" She  
was scared and disgusted and the wolf in her said to strike. She slashed at  
him, cutting him in two with surprising ease. The sword she was holding  
wasn't covered in blood, it was covered in mud! The mud ran out of him and  
he shriveled up. It left the discarded flesh covering and reformed into a  
basic humanoid shape. Valerian struck at it again with the sword but this  
time it held the sword in its body and pulled it out of her hands. She  
started backing away from it while it discarded the sword out of reach.  
*Think wolf, think wolf, think wolf." Her body started to change and she  
slipped out of her loose clothing easily. She would have to thank D for his  
foresight. She was the wolf again. Her instincts told her that if a sword  
couldn't cut this thing then her teeth and claws couldn't either. She began  
to run. The mud creature was fast, but not as fast as a wolf.  
  
She ran out of the castle with the thing following. She tried her hardest to  
catch D's familiar scent. Every now and then she would catch a whiff but not  
enough to lead her anywhere so she stayed near the castle. Even her lupine  
endurance wasn't any match for unfeeling mud and she got more and more  
frightened. Finally, she saw D approaching. She ran straight to D, he was  
surprised but fortunately he recognized her. He leapt off his cyborg horse  
and landed between Valerian and the mud creature. It stopped for a moment,  
surprised at this new development. D took the glove off his left hand, held  
it up, and blasted the creature to a charred mess. His left hand then  
absorbed the mud creature's soul. *Are you okay?* thought D as he kneeled  
down to pet the panting Valerian. *I'm a little shaken up, but fine. Thanks.  
* she thought. *How did it follow us here, and where's Ace?* asked D. *That  
mud thing was disguised as Ace, that's why he was so quiet. It kept asking  
if I knew anything about giving birth. * she answered. They both knew where  
they needed to go, back to that underground room. D held Valerian, still as  
a wolf, in front of him on the saddle and they started on their way.  
  
The journey was pretty uneventful so reached the underground room quickly.  
Valerian had gotten more used to her wolf body so she walked confidently  
beside D to the ledge. The mud arms were still flailing and reaching for  
anything they could grab. They jumped down into the room and made sure to  
keep clear of the hands. Valerian looked at the door on the wall and  
thought, *The last time I saw Ace he was near that door. * They walked up to  
it and D pressed the button beside it. The door slid open and they saw Ace  
tied to a school desk. The beautiful woman was standing in front of him and  
he was practically crying when he said, "I'm a man, I don't know anything  
about giving birth." D held up his left hand again and blasted the woman,  
then absorbed its soul. Charred mud had splattered everywhere. D untied him  
from the chair and retied his hands and feet. He drug Ace out of the room  
and to the car, tossing him in the back.  
  
D didn't see Valerian near him so he looked around. She was on the ledge and  
the bubble woman had reappeared. Strangely, Valerian didn't seem afraid of  
it this time. Still, D drew his sword and came closer to them. *D, it's  
okay.* thought Valerian. The bubble woman looked at D and said, "Thank you  
for defeating the mud demon. It was blocking my ability to speak. It was a  
servant of a much more terrible demon. Thousands of years ago, a demon was  
conceived in the womb of a human woman. It had the power to torment and  
destroy every living thing in the world. A powerful group of magic using  
humans, vampires, and demons sensed this and decided to stop it. They took  
the woman here, where they had built an artificial womb. They were able to  
transport it into the artificial womb and seal it away. Then they created me  
to be its guardian. It laid dormant for thousands of years, its power  
growing. Now it wants to be born." "What can we do?" asked D. "Fire, that's  
its weakness." said the bubble lady, then she backed away. She popped again  
and was gone.  
  
D went to the car and pulled the lever to turn it around again. He pressed  
the green button and sent Ace on his way to the surface. He then turned to  
Valerian and said, "If anything happens to me run as fast as you can out of  
here. You can turn in Ace at the next town. I'm going to destroy this thing  
even if it kills me." He regretted those last words, he could see her fear  
for his safety in her eyes. Valerian just leaned up against D's legs and he  
knelt down to pet her again. He added, "I'm going to do all I can to come  
back alive."  
  
He stood again, his sword still drawn, and started running at the mud arms.  
He grabbed the edges of his cape before he reached the ledge and was able to  
glide halfway to the other side. When he landed he was surrounded by the mud  
arms. He spun around, swinging his sword in a circle to start clearing the  
way before he sank into the mud. He ran and swung his sword in front of him  
to clear his way. He finally made it to the other side. The ground was a  
little more solid and there were no mud arms where D was standing. He  
sheathed his sword and started digging. Just a few inches down he hit a  
large object. He took his left hand and made a fist. The symbiot screamed,  
"No! D!!!!! You're not gonna do what I think you're gonna do?!!!" D drew  
back and then punched as hard as he could, breaking a hole in the shell. D  
saw an image in his mind of what the hand saw, a full grown demon in the  
fetal position. It was just a little bigger than a full grown man. D had the  
symbiot convert all the energy it could to fire and blasted the demon with  
everything he had. The mud arms started writhing in pain and then sank down  
into the ground. D saw through the symbiot's eyes that there was nothing  
left of the demon's body but a charred spot so he had it absorb all the  
released soul energy so nothing could come back to haunt him.  
  
D stood, drawing his charred and unhappy left hand out of the container. He  
the ran back to Valerian. They both wanted nothing else but to get out of  
there so they both ran, side by side and triumphant, out of the cave. 


End file.
